More and more terminals need to exchange small data with a network-side device. For example, when a smartphone runs certain applications such as a QQ application, the smartphone needs to exchange small data with the network-side device. For such applications, a communications system may perform corresponding operations in a one-by-one manner. Such a manner requires all terminals to execute a complete signaling procedure on every occasion of exchanging small data, and to send the data through scheduling. As far as the smartphone is concerned, the UE (User Equipment, user equipment) may get switched between an idle state and a connected state ceaselessly.
For a terminal that needs to transmit discontinuous small data, the following several processing manners are applicable: The first manner is that the terminal changes from the connected state to the idle state after completion of transmitting the data. If any data needs to be transmitted, the terminal changes from the idle state back to the connected state. The second manner is that the terminal keeps the connected state all along.
For the first manner, the terminal has to change from the idle state to the connected state on every occasion of transmitting data. Such a manner consumes too much signaling, and reduces transmission efficiency of the terminal. For the second manner, in order to keep the connected state of the terminal all along, plenty of physical layer resources, such as CQI (channel quality indication, channel quality indication), need to be consumed.